Ridley's Funky Fungi (GME094)

Product Information

The other danger is implied. This book is amazing, so be prepared to adopt an obsession for fungi for the next few weeks. This book takes a holistic approach, so not only did I learn about an array of mushrooms, I learned things about nature, geography, science, cooking, and even the language arts (not just vocabulary and etymology of words related to fungi; "Write a haiku about fungi" is one of the prompts.) Lu, H., Yang, Y., Gad, E., Inatsuka, C., Wenner, C. A., Disis, M. L., & Standish, L. J. (2011, November 1). TLR2 agonist PSK activates human NK cells and enhances the antitumor effect of HER2-targeted monoclonal antibody therapy. Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3206987/. Similarly, resilience against drought can also lead to protection against other extreme weather events like flooding; severe flooding occurs when high amounts of rainfall in an area cannot absorb the sudden rush of moisture. These are usually areas that have been developed – like roads and parking lots – and lands with unhealthy, compacted soils. Healthy soils, nourished by fungi, are better able to withstand these extreme weather events.

The curious world of fungi is vast, mystical, and maybe a bit magical – only 15-40% of fungi species have been described to date, quite a large gap of knowledge. Most fungi start their life as a spore, which is a microscopic particle. Think of spores like pollen for plants or eggs for animals. The spores are genetically identical to the parent cell and will develop into the same species – no matter if it develops sexually or asexually, and most fungi can do both! Bleeding tooth mushrooms grow in forested, and often mountainous parts of North America, Europe, Iran, and South Korea. Like many mushrooms, they frequently grow near the roots of coniferous trees. What’s unique about this mushroom? The aim of the game is for players to collect “forage points” counters. Points from 2 to 4 are collected by creating clusters, as shown on special mushroom cards. Clusters are made by obtaining the required colours of mushrooms in your foraged card collection. However, you can only make clusters when it’s your turn to forage. The number of points you get depends on the number of mushrooms required for a cluster: for example, 4 mushrooms are required for 4 points, which is the highest-value and most difficult cluster to make. All completed clusters are then put in the discard pile. If a player is the first to reach a total of 10 points, they are the winner. Despite also being known as the Strawberry and Cream mushroom, this fungus is so bitter that it’s not worth entertaining the idea of eating it. This mushroom is reminiscent of a lion’s great shaggy mop, and it also happens to be one of the world’s most adaptive health boosters found in nature. #5 Lion’s Mane ( Hericium Erinaceus) Where does this weird mushroom grow?

Bird of the Year 2019

This weird mushroom would not be out of place in a horror movie. Devil’s fingers have four to eight tentacle-like “fingers” that are blood red. This outlandish mushroom doesn’t only look like it’s from Hell, it smells like it too. It’s coated in a slime that smells like rotting flesh. What useful properties does this mushroom have? Read as a nomination in the non-fiction book award category as a panelist for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils Awards). Oliveira, A. G., Stevani, C. V., Waldenmaier, H. E., Emerson, J. M., Loros, J. J., & Dunlap, J. C. (2015, March 19). Circadian Control Sheds Light on Fungal Bioluminescence. https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)00160-8?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982215001608%3Fshowall%3Dtrue. American composer, John Cage, was not only one of the most influential composers of the 20th century, but he was also a great mushroom lover.

Lion’s mane mushroom grows on decaying trees throughout the Northern United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. What’s unique about this mushroom? Did you know that there are some special fungi that can turn insects into zombies? That’s right! Introducing the cordyceps fungi group. Watch this incredible VIDEO by Sir David Attenborough all about these zombie producing fungi. This book comes with some warnings, so handle with care! The first warning is about interacting with any fungus you might find. "It could be poisonous." So do not touch fungi with your bare hands, don't eat them, and don't even smell them. Modern scientific research is beginning to confirm the traditional ways that Cordyceps has been used for health support. Human and animal studies show that the polysaccharides (such as beta-glucans) in Cordyceps Militaris can have an anti-fatigue effect; enhance respiratory function; and can improve exercise performance biomarkers like VO2 max ( 20 , 21, 2 2). Preliminary human and animal cell studies suggest Cordyceps militaris may also support healthy levels of inflammation and immune system markers ( 23, 2 4).

European Cuckoo

Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of a larger, often seemingly invisible organism known as the mycelium (my-silly-um). The mycelium is composed of many long strands called hyphae. If you’re looking for a new Wordle, the singular of hyphae is hypha. What we know as fungi are the mycelium, its hyphae, and the mushroom (if the mycelium produces them). And here’s another word to add to your toolkit: mycorrhiza (my-co-rye-za). These special fungi have very unique relationships with plants. These fungi thread through the underground root system of plants and forests, creating a “mycorrhizal network” that connects plants to one another. This underground world allows plants to share nutrients and water, creating a thriving community built upon these little linkages. Some have even described this powerful relationship between fungi and plants as the “wood-wide web.”

Blagodatski, A., Yatsunskaya, M., Mikhailova, V., Tiasto, V., Kagansky, A., & Katanaev, V. L. (2018, June 26). Medicinal mushrooms as an attractive new source of natural compounds for future cancer therapy. Oncotarget. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6044372/.

The lobster mushroom grows in forests across North America, but they’re usually found under conifer trees. Peak lobster mushroom season runs from late summer to October. What’s unique about this mushroom?